Local Space Industry Experts to Develop and Teach Specialised Space Certification Courses

Mr Lee Hong Chuang asked the Minister for Education (a) whether specialised space certification courses offered in Singapore will be heavily subsidised for Singaporean students; and (b) how will the Government ensure that there are sufficient local space industry experts available to develop and teach these niche curricula.

The talent needs for the Singapore space sector are generally met by graduates trained in existing disciplines, such as aerospace, electrical and mechanical engineering, computer engineering, computer science and data science. Some of our institutes of higher learning (IHLs) have also introduced space-related specialisations within existing courses. For example, Ngee Ann Polytechnic recently announced a Space Technology specialisation for third-year engineering students. Similarly, the National University of Singapore (NUS) offers the Space Technology Specialisation for electrical and computer engineering students. Singaporean students enrolled in these courses already benefit from significant subsidies for their education.

To further support the development of Singaporean talent, the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) supports student training through projects, like NUS's Galassia CubeSat programme, where students get to design satellite missions. The Space Technology Development Programme administered by NSAS also supports the training and employment of researchers, scientists and engineers under qualifying research and development programmes within the IHLs and research institutions. These professionals could support the development and delivery of space-related curricula for students.